The UAE has made another giant step in its mission to Mars, as it’s set to launch the first regional Mars Hope Probe this July.
The UAE Space Agency has successfully transferred the Hope probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai to the launch site on Tanegashima Island in Japan.
The 83-hour operation to transfer the probe, supervised by a team of Emirati engineers, was completed despite challenges presented by the Covid-19 outbreak, taking safety precautions
We proudly announce the successful transfer of the first Regional Mars probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai to the launch site on Tanegashima island in Japan, in an 83-hour operation under the supervision of a team of Emirati engineers. pic.twitter.com/06D5r0xDim
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 25, 2020
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, stated the probe was completed in just six years, less than the global period of ten years, and aims to launch this July.
Despite global flight suspensions & health precautions, our engineers are working according to schedule to complete the region’s top space science project. The probe was developed in 6 years, less than the usual global period of 10, and at half the cost. We aim to launch in July pic.twitter.com/eW3CAk6GGS
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 25, 2020
The first stages of the transportation of the probe included the transfer from Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center to the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. From there, it was flown to Nagoya Airport in Japan, and finally by overseas to from the port of Shimama to Tanegashima Island.
The Hope Probe will be the first probe to show complete pictures of the Mars atmosphere and its layers when it reaches the red planet’s orbit in 2021.
It aims to answer key questions about Mars, including the atmosphere and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the course of one Martian year (687 days).
The UAE’s ongoing Mars Mission is a century-long project, and there are plans put in place to put scientist and astronauts on Mars by 2117. Every sci-fi fan’s dream.
For more information about the Mars 2117 Strategy and other space-related projects, visit emiratesmarsmission.ae.
For further updates on all things space and beyond in Dubai, click here, and in Abu Dhabi, click here
